Band-cutter



(No Model.)

J. L. HORST.

BAND CUTTER.

No. 381,926. h Patented May'1,.1888-.

- is horizontally in line with the tines.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J ACOB L. HORST, OF OBERLIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

BAND-CUTTER.

SPE(.JIIEIICA'JTLIION forming part of Letters Patent No. 381,926, dated May 1, 1888.

Application filed September 3, 1886. Serial No. 212,653. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB L. HoRsr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oberlin, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedanew and useful Band- Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to removable attachments to pitchforks adapted for cutting the bands of sheaves of grain in the act of inserting the fork into the straw of the same, or, if the band is thus inaccessible, to sever the same by a backward or draw out before inserting the fork.

The particular construction and arrangement of the parts of my device will be hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, as a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention attached to a pitchfork whose handle is broken away; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the cutter; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the clasp for attaching the cutters rear end to the forkhandle; Fig. 4, a perspective view of the braces for attaching the cutter to prevent its moving out of place; and Fig. 5, a side view of one of the similar screwbolts, with nut in section, for attaching the clasp and braces.

In the following description similar reference-letters denote the same parts in all the views.

The pitchfork F F is made in the usual way, it having two or more tines, F, the handle F, and the ferrule F.

My cutter (denoted by A A) isadouble-edged lancepointed blade, and is mounted to stand between the tines and vertically in the line of the axis of the fork-handle, having its point a sheltered between the tines-that is, its point The blade has in it the cut WV, adapted to admit in it the shank of the fork. Rearward from the point a the sharp cutting-edges A and A respectively, flare or curve upward and downward, as shown, and form two unequal segments, the less, a, terminating roundly to the part d, which abuts against the ferrule F above. The larger segment, A, sweeps in a curve below, and at its rear part, H, abuts against the fork-handle F, beneath it. The portion A of the larger segment is formed with sickle-teeth adapted to cut by drawing the instrument rearward.

In the blade of the cutter are formed the eyes m m,elongated, respectively, vertically and horizontally, for admitting therein the screw-bolts B G compensatingly, by which the clasp B and the braces O O are oppositely clamped against the blade by means of thread ed nuts driven on the said bolts. The clasp B is an open band adapted to embrace the forkhandle, and has the flanges or ends ]3 adapted to embrace the cutter-blade, to which it is clamped by said screw-bolt Band anut brought home thereon, said flanges having eyes therein, through which the bolt is inserted, and also through the elongated eye m, which is so made to adapt the band for any ordinary forkhandle.

The braces G 0* are provided with shoulders C on their inner faces, so that when they are bolted in place on the cutter-blade, as

shown in Fig. 1, said shoulders bear on the upper edge of the part A of said cutter-blade, the purpose of which is obvious. These braces extend upward and forward, so as to bear against either side of the shank of the fork to keep the cutter-blade from turning about the handle F, and also to bear against the rear end of said shank to keep the cutter from slipping forward on said handle. The parts 0 also abut against the ferrule laterally to keep the cutter centrally at its point a.

The usual way of cutting open the band is by thrusting the fork into the sheaf near the band; but a quick draw cut backward will also answer to open the sheaf; but this method is less satisfactory, as the straw must then be more carefully pitched. There are sheaves, however, of tangled straw, where the thrust cut fails to cut bands. In such cases the draw out must be resorted to.

I claim- 1. In a band-cutter, the combination of the cutter-blade having the flaring cutting-edges A A and the sickle cutting-edge A, adapting it to a thrust and draw cut,with the fork-handle F, the clasp B, the. braces O 0*, and the means for securing said clasp and braces to the cutter-blade, whereby the cutter-blade is se cured to the fork-handle and prevented from blade being cut away, substantially as and for longitudinal and lateral displacement, substanthe purpose set forth. tially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A band-cutter blade formed of two seg- 5 mental parts united ata common point, a, and

JACOB L. HORST.

Attest:

provided with cutting-edges upon its upper THEOPHILUS WEAVER, and lower segmental parts, the interior of said D. O. MAURER. 

